“ ‘ But you really do n’t require to be accurate . It ’s just a account book ’ STOP HIRING PEOPLE WHO DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE SOURCE MATERIAL . ”
Last year, it was confirmed thatJacob ElordiandMargot Robbiewould star together in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming film adaptation ofWuthering Heights, the classic 1847 novel by Emily Brontë. Thecasting announcementdid not go down well at the time, and it’s fair to say it’s still not sitting right with fans.
For context, many feel that 34-year-old Margot is too old to play 18-year-old Catherine Earnshaw, while Jacob is probablytoo white to play Heathcliff, the foster son of the Earnshaw family, who is described early in the book as “dark-skinned.”
All in all, the consensus is that neither Jacob nor Margot, who are both Australian, are the right fit for the roles based on how they’re described in the book. And now, off the back of the first batch ofphotographs of the pairtogether in costume on set, the film’s casting director has weighed in on the widespread criticism.
Speaking at a Q&A session during the Sands Film Festival in Scotland over the weekend,Kharmel Cochrane— who notably worked with Jacob and Margot on Emerald’sSaltburnin 2023 — argued that the actors don’t need to look exactly how the characters are described in the original text because “it’s just a book.”
“There was one Instagram comment that said the casting director should be shot,” she said, talking about the backlash more specifically. “But just wait ‘til you see it, and then you can decide whether you want to shoot me or not. But you really don’t need to be accurate. It’s just a book. That is not based on real life. It’s all art.”
Aside from the castings, Kharmel hinted at some potentially “even more shocking” differences between the book and upcoming film, saying, “there’s definitely going to be some English Lit fans that are not going to be happy.” “Wait until you see the set design because that is even more shocking,” she teased. “And there may or may not be a dog collar in it.”
On top of that, Kharmel’s quips about the reactions of “English Lit fans” are also bound to “alienate” what will likely be the movie’s primary audience of — you guessed it — English Lit fans.
